The Alliance
by The Infamous Boss Reo
Summary: Most probaly know of my association with Kawaii Lil Lia, as well as our series. Well now here it s in collected format, for your personal enjoyment. (As well as better publicity.)
1. No Rest For the Wicked

The Alliance.

Because we're better than you.

By The Infamous Boss Reo and Kawaii Li'l Lia

Episode 1.

"…. 'Super Magic Scythe'?" Reo cocked an eyebrow as he read one of the latest of Batpig fics; he glanced over at his trusty lemon scythe. "Super magic Scythe?!"

"I think it's cute! ^__^" Wallace chirped, bringing him a fresh cup of French Vanilla Coffee. 

"Yeah, but… I mean COME ON!" the Infamous author said. "Is she THAT low on ideas?!"

"Oh, you know she's got a lot to go through." Wallace smiled, rubbing his owner's shoulders. "Besides, she keeps mentioning you in the fics, doesn't she? And what have you done for her?"

"I drew her a pic that she hasn't even posted anywhere!" Reo answered. "Do you realize how many class periods I didn't work in to get that picture done?!"

"Reo, you NEVER work in any class period. And when you have Art, you just sit in front of the computer and color pics or look up fanfics." There was a short pause.

"…But I color my pics, don't I?" Reo asked. Wallace just sighed. 

"Isn't it time for your 8:00 massage?" the cute blonde asked. Reo just smiled and kissed his cheek. 

"Yes it is. Care to join me?" he grinned. 

"Maybe another time." Wallace answered, "I have to go get some groceries." 

Reo just shrugged, "Suit yourself."

As the infamous fic author made his way to his personal massage room, where Li Syaoran awaited, Wallace walked out to the garage. Taking a set of keys, he walked past the two humvees, past the panzer tank, and to a black cobra. Suddenly, two hands grabbed him from behind, placing a cloth over him as he struggled, then pulled him back into the darkness.

~*~

Wizardmon stumbled into the Agianna media room with a cup of coffee, watching as his human partner scrolled downwards on her PC. 

"What are you doing?" he mumbled, flopping down onto the nearby couch. 

"Going over this fic again. 'Super Magic Scythe?' Okay, somebody's been tampering with this thing because I know I didn't write that. 'Shining weapon of death,' yes, 'instrument of mass destruction,' sure. But 'Super Magic Scythe?' And where the heck did I put that pic Reo sent me? I'm posting it on my profile as soon as I'm not pressed for time…why do you care?"

"No reason. You might want to check your voice mail, that's all." Lia sighed and reached into her pocket for her cell phone. 

"If you've been playing hacker, I swear…"

She listened intently to her message, then took off for the door. 

"I've got to go. Cover for me, kay?" Wizardmon ran a gloved finger along the rim of the mug. 

"Don't I always?" The brunette author clambered up onto the roof of the building, cell phone to her ear. 

"Ishida residence, what's the story?"

"Strange goings-on at Reo's. Meet you on the roof in five."

"Got it."

And with the powers vested in her as author, Lia changed into her spandex number in a sequence resembling Julian of Card Captors becoming his alter ego Yue, unfurled her wings, and took off as Alliance member Fallen Angel. 

~*~

Meanwhile, Matt was having a bit of trouble getting out of the house. T.K., the perpetually cheerful 02 sprite with the Gilligan fixation, was 'hanging out' at the Ishida apartment, which meant his brother couldn't safely escape in his guise as Digimon Kaiser Yamato. 

"Hey T.K., you think you could run down to the store and pick up a thing of ice cream? Gabumon's been on a spree again and…"

"Yeah, right. You're just getting me out of the house because Lia's coming over and you two are going to be fooling around and you don't want me telling Dad."

"Yeah, I mean, no, I mean, just get the hell out!"

And somehow, miraculously, the little pain-in-the-a** did what he was told. 

Matt hurried up onto the roof, where his fabulously bishoujo girlfriend was waiting. 

"Took you long enough," she sighed. 

"Sorry, couldn't get T.K. to leave. Shall we be off?" he questioned, changing into the blue-and-white frock of the Digimon Emperor. 

"Yeah. I'm getting a bad feeling something is seriously wrong."

~*~

A group of pitch-black ninjas silently crept along the roof of the huge mansion that could only be rivaled by that of Tommy Lee's. With them, they carried a tied-and-gagged Wallace, who struggled as they dragged him along.

"Silence, Blonde Gaijin!" one of the ninjas hissed. He held up some throwing knives to the boy's neck, who started sweating nervously.

"We should just leave him!" one of the undercloaks said. "Why should Lord Chingg be interested in him, anyway?" 

The ninja with the knives turned to his counterpart. 

"This boy controls two powerful beasts!" he said, "Once Lord Chingg has all of them under his control, he will be more powerful than ever before!"

"So why don't WE just take them and just kick Chingg's ass and take his money?" the ninja asked again. The entire group paused for a moment and stroked their chins.

"…Because we have a code of ancient oriental honor!" the lead ninja barked. 

"Dude, we're from Harvard," a ninja said, only to have another slap him upside the head. 

"Well… he gave us these really cool suits and weapons! Plus all that free training!" the leader replied. "Besides, do you REALLY wanna have to do that thesis on the relationship of water buffaloes and dandelions? It was either that or take up this job to work off the student loan payments."

"…I had an art major!" another ninja whined. 

"Just shut up about college already!" the leader snapped. "He wants us to take out this author, so get those cybernetic implants ready and let's gut his ass!" 

"Right!" the group said in unison, and they all did a pose, while Wallace just sweatdropped. The leader crept to the small sunroof that was above the massage parlor.

"Ahh… there he is, the gaijin dog!" he drew his katana out. "We move on the count of three." He said, "One… Two…"

Just then, a huge blade suddenly popped out from in front of him and the ninja almost shrieked in fright. The blade began to form a circle around the ninja and he then fell through the roof. The rest of the group looked down through the hole and the sound of slicing, cutting, screams, and begs for mercy were heard, while the rest of them flinched as they watched.

"You birds mind telling me what you're doing on my property?" they heard a voice ask behind them. They turned around to see Reo, toting his Lemon Scythe and with a VERY unhappy look as he eyed Wallace, "And you also mind telling me what you're doing with my bishy?" 

"Uh… um…" the ninjas looked around nervously. 

"Um… congratulations sir, you're our new ten million dollar winner?" one of them asked, gulping. 

Reo just narrowed his eyes and brought the edge of his scythe next to his face. 

"Sorry boowies," he said, "…I only take my goods from Ed McMahon."

~*~

Lia dropped onto the roof with Matt close behind, his digimon "minion" going off to the nearest late-night drive thru. A couple skylights away were Reo, Wallace, and the college students turned ninjas.

"Looks like the party started without us," the bishoujo with wings mused, leaping across the rooftops. 

"Slow down, girl! Laser heat vision and a whip aren't spectacular superpowers, you know!" Matt complained, chasing after her. 

"Oh, that's not all you do. That's just what we've thus far mentioned."

The ninjas were backing away from the author with the scythe, still clutching the very Quatre-esque Wallace. 

"Should we make a run for it, or just self-destruct?" one ninja whispered. 

"Moron, we can't self-destruct!" the new lead ninja retorted. 

"The chemistry majors can!" Just then one insignificant little ninja emitted a yelp of surprise as he was pulled back into the darkness. 

"What the?!"

"Hello, boys. Care to release that bishounen, or do I have to play rough?"

The lead ninja huffed in annoyance. 

"It's just some girl. Thrash her." Lia stepped out of the shadows, eyeing the hoard of ninjas darkly. 

"Just some girl, huh? We'll see about that."

Matt made his way over to Reo, who was still hacking ninjas up with his blade of death. 

"So…why are there ninjas on the roof trying to kidnap Wallace?"

"Beats the hell outta me."

"Pretty poor quality ninjas. You'd think whoever sent them could afford better quality mercenaries."

The occasional snap of a Kaiser-owned whip and the slice of a lemon scythe broke up their little conversation. Lia was holding her own as she beat the ninjas senseless. Her wings smashed their heads together, while a few well-placed kicks into the gut sent them reeling back.

"This doesn't seem like the work of any of our normal villain misfit digimon!" she observed. Reo backhanded another ninja's face while slicing another. 

"Yer right," he said, "Nobody would ever be this organized." 

A hapless ninja-boy screamed like a little schoolgirl as Yamato flipped him over his shoulder, snapping his arm and making a crunching sound. The ninja holding the struggling Wallace back from the fight, turning around and running toward the edge of the roof.

"Oh no you don't!" Matt growled, and took off after him. As the ninja approached the end of the roof, the 'Kaiser' began to catch up, jumping at him from behind in an attempt to tackle him. All of a sudden he was blinded by a huge light as a craft of some kind appeared out of nowhere. All three heroes stopped in their tracks as the ninja clutching the blonde bishounen leaped into the ship's opening. 

"WALLACE!" Reo yelled, and head-butted the current ninja he was fighting.

"WALLACE!!!!!" he screamed as he ran toward the craft. A shadowed figure seemed to look at him from the opening as the ninja set down the now unconscious Wallace. Reo growled as he lunged his scythe.

"Damn you!" he shouted. "Bring him back!" The scythe lodged into the side of the ship, causing it to swerve as it rose to the sky. 

"Reo, what are you doing?!" Matt said as he noticed a chain connected from Reo's scythe to his glove. 

"Getting my bishounen back!" The Infamous One replied, and began retracting the chain, carrying himself to the ship. 

"Need a lift?" Lia asked as she scooped Yamato up in her arms. They both headed after the escaping ship as Reo climbed the chain to the craft. On the ship, a ninja looked out at the heroes as the pursued them.

"Um.. Lord Chinng, Sir?" he gulped, the shadowed figure turned his eye toward him, 

"Get rid of them," was his only order. The ninja nodded and pulled back his sleeve, revealing a cybernetic remote.

~*~

"I don't get it!" Matt hollered over the sound of aircraft engines. "Why would a bunch of ninjas kidnap Wallace? And just who the hell hired them? I'm pretty positive none of the Batpig villains have that kind of money on them!"

Lia shook her head, unsure of the answer. "I'm wondering if…"

She was cut off as something grazed her shoulder, causing her to gasp in pain.

"They're shooting at us!" 

"With what?" Matt questioned. 

There were several flashes of light from the craft, aimed directly at them. 

"Lasers," Lia said simply. 

Meanwhile, Reo was trying to find a way into the craft while having to deal with the automated defense system, as engaged by Ninja # 118975. An array of lasers, grenades and bullets were launched at him, only to be deflected by the blade of the scythe. He promptly sliced the guns from the metal they were mounted to, causing them to clatter off the side of the vehicle and plummet to the ground below. 

"Nobody f***s a hero and his bishounen."

~*~

Inside, Wallace had come to. He stared at the large room he was stowed in with a mix of shock, fear, and astonishment. 

"How good of you to join us, young Wallace," the voice of the shadowed adversary boomed. 

"Why did you kidnap me? Why won't you let me go home?" he whimpered. 

"Because I give the orders around here, Wallace, and if you wish to remain unharmed you will stay quiet and do exactly as I say."

"They'll stop you…they'll come for me…"

In his shadows, our villain friend cracked a grin. "The Alliance? No, they won't be coming for you." He paused to take a sip of something. "Because they'll be dead."

Wallace burst into tears. A pair of random ninjas appeared, grabbed him by the arms, and dragged him off to some other chamber in the craft. 

Our shadowed villain turned in his revolving chair, because every good villain must have a revolving chair, and picked up a cordless phone. 

"Yes, assemble the rest of the Professionals. We have what we want, and I don't believe the Alliance will be bothering us for much longer."

~*~

The edge of Reo's scythe dug into the side of the ship as it sped across the night sky. Almost two miles above ground, the Infamous One struggled to keep consciousness, as the air became thinner and thinner.

"I'm… not…" He felt weaker as he climbed along the craft's structure. "…Giving up…" he felt drowsier. A sudden noise struck his attention, and he looked to his right, seeing a gun turret appear on the side of the ship. A small curse went through the boy's mind as the barrel of the cannon shifted to face him, and he could see a small blue ball of energy building up in the gun's barrel.

"…Wallace…" Reo's eyes narrowed and he tried to reach for his scythe as quickly as possible…

*BAM*

Clenching his eyes shut, Reo expected his atoms to be scattering all over the countryside by now. Instead, he was blown from the side of the ship by a sudden impact to the gun next to him.

"Reo! Hang on!" he heard Lia's voice call out to him. He blacked out as he began speeding towards the ground from two miles in the air.

~*~

"How is he?" Lia asked. 

Matt just shook his head; "He's been out of it for almost three hours. He took a lot of punishment from whoever it was that took Wallace." The brunette girl sighed and held her arms around her boyfriend.

"It looks serious, this time…" she said, "…I'm getting scared." 

Matt's hand wrapped around hers. "I am too," he replied. A small cough was heard behind them, and the two turned around to see Eriol, another of Reo's many resident bishounen.

"I thought you'd like to know…" he said, holding a few papers. "We managed to get a readout on where that ship was heading." 

Matt took the papers and began reading over them.

"We took a few estimates based on its trajectory and course…" the young child said, pushing his glasses back up, "…and concluded that it just might be heading towards a city in the Southwestern United States." 

Lia gazed at the papers over Matt's shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"Southwestern United States?" she asked, a bit puzzled. "How did you manage to figure that out?" 

Eriol shrugged. "We only said it was a conclusion."

"I KNOW it's heading there…" they all heard Reo say weakly. The Infamous One groaned as he strained to sit himself up. Eriol rushed to his side. 

"You know?" Lia asked. 

"Yeah," he said. "I managed to snag a beacon on the side of the ship while I was on there." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out what looked like a tiny spider. "I knew it was a good idea to make these babies."

"But where they're heading is way out of our league!" Matt said. "I doubt we can do anything about this."

"Oh we CAN do something about it." Lia said, "…But it might just change our lives in the process." 

Reo blinked a few times, "What did you have in mind?" he asked. 

"It's very simple," the girl smiled, "Recon."

~*~

"This is insane!" Li said, following the three heroes as they stood in a large, dark room. "Master Reo, you've never done anything like this!"

"That sunnuvabitch took Wallace," the Infamous One said, pulling out a remote and pointing it to a large wall. Almost immediately, a giant computer screen appeared on it. "…If we don't get him back, there'll be a lot more at stake than just my pride."

"He's right," Lia nodded. "Wallace has Lopmon and Terriermon, who are two of the most powerful…"

"….And dangerous beings that we know of." Matt added, "Lopmon alone can manipulate time and space when in his ultimate level. Who knows what can be found in Terriermon."

"So we go in and get them." Reo said, pressing a button on his remote. The screen showed a generated image of the ship as it ran on a lined course, a few red blips appeared every once in a while, as well as outlined formations of clouds, mountains, etc.

"It looks like they're heading here," Lia said, and the screen zoomed out to show a larger red blip, indicating a city.

"Where is that?" Matt asked. Reo pressed another button, and the screen indicated a name:

****

'Gospel City'

~*~

In a large underground meeting hall somewhere in the Southwestern US, a group of ruthless killers sat, waiting for instructions. Computers, sensors, radar detectors, every piece of high tech equipment imaginable lined the walls.

"Sexx Kitten, get off," one of the mercenaries groaned, shoving a scantily clad woman with a tail and claws off his lap. She hissed at him and sulked back to her chair. 

"You're no fun, Kigo," she pouted. 

"Both of you, shut up. God, what's taking the boss so long?" 

"Patience, Boom-Boom. If that little runt Wallace escapes, there go all our plans," sighed a young boy with wire-rimmed glasses and a look of pure malevolence. 

"Vase has a point," another villain, Shadder, mentioned. 

Just then a large computer screen flicked on. The shadowed image of Wallace's kidnapper appeared, causing the assembly of villains to quiet down. 

"Ah, Professionals, good of you all to come. You're probably wondering why I've called you all together."

"To finally pay us back, cheap bastard?" Ground Zero muttered under his breath. 

"It seems," their boss continued, "that those blasted superheroes haven't died yet. And now they're coming to collect that which we have claimed. I can't have that. I want you to destroy the Alliance, I don't care how, but make it so they are nothing more than red smears! Understood?"

The group of villains with inhuman powers nodded as one. 

"Don't you worry, Boss," Buzzkill said with a psychotic grin. "We'll get 'em."

~*~

In his cell below the main deck of the craft, Wallace heard everything. 

"The Professionals? I've got to warn the others!" 

Having been untied and stowed behind electrically wired metal bars, it was all Wallace could do to help his friends. He miraculously found his D-terminal in his pockets and typed a quick message before the guards came in and pressed a cloth soaked in chloroform to his nose, causing the young boy to black out again. 

~*~

"Master Reo, please lie down. You're in no condition to be running around saving the world," Li pleaded, chasing the three heroes down the hall. Quatre, who was out of breath and panting, intercepted them halfway to the garage. 

"We've…just received…email…Wallace…"

"What?!" the vigilantes gasped. 

They hurried back to the main control room, where the message was posted on the screen that previously held the maps. 

"'They're sending villains called 'the Professionals' out to kill you. And hurry, I'm scared. Love, Wallace.' Oh God, we have to…Reo, what's wrong?" Lia questioned, turning. The Infamous One had gone pale, shaking ever so slightly. 

"I assume this has to do with the Professionals," Matt stated. 

Reo regained a bit of his composure, leaning on his scythe for support. 

"The Professionals are the evil equivalent to our Alliance, only probably ten times more powerful. If they're involved in this then…"

Lia folded her arms across her chest. "We can handle anything they throw at us. We're going to get Wallace back no matter what, because I'm certainly not going to let a bunch of measly mercenaries scare me. Now, are you two with me, or am I going to have to do everything myself?" 

Matt pulled his violet-tinted glassed down off the top of his head and slid them on. 

"You know wherever you go, I go."

Reo nodded, straightening. "Those bastards are going to pay for upsetting Wallace, you hear?"

"Then let's go."

~*~

Matt looked down at his little brother as he slept peacefully in his bed for the night.

"I don't know when I'll finally come back…" he whispered, "…I don't even know if I'll come back at all…" he leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. "But I love you, Takeru. Be strong."

He quietly picked up his duffel bag and tiptoed out of the room, creeping towards the front door.

"Yamato…" 

He froze, recognizing his father's voice. A small light clicked on and there was his dad, sitting in a chair.

"Dad!" he gasped, "W…what're you doing up?"

"I wanted to see you off," he said. 

Matt gulped. "…So you know?" he asked. 

His father smiled, "You'd be surprised about how much you can't keep from me." He rose from his chair, resting his hand on his son's shoulder, "But I know you have to do this. You've always been one to take care of people, even before you became a Digidestined and a super hero." 

Matt smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"Just promise you'll return safely," his father said. Matt nodded.

"I will."

~*~

"Take a good long look." Reo sighed, taking a puff from his cigarette. "We want you to take care of things for us while we're gone." He looked to Phantomon who stood next to him as they looked over the city from the top of the building.

"We know you can do it," he smiled. 

Phanto just sighed, "I'm not sure if I'm ready, Reo."

"Oh please," the Infamous One snorted. "Who was the one who single-handedly took out Pane? Who was it that served as Batpig's replacement for a short while?" He looked at the digimon and smirked, "Trust me, we've had it a lot easier, compared to what you did." 

Phantomon couldn't help but blush. 

"We probably won't make it back," Reo said, taking another puff. "At least not me, anyway. And we'll be gone for quite a long time."

There was a short pause between the two of them.

"…How long?" Phantomon finally asked. Reo sighed and dropped some ashes from his cigarette. 

"…Until we get back," he said. Phanto just nodded and looked back out at the city.

~*~

Lia took a deep breath before knocking on her parents' bedroom door. They were still awake, her mother reading, her father watching television. 

"Um, Mom, Dad?"

They glanced up, noticing their eldest daughter fully dressed and clutching a few suitcases. 

"Aurelia Elizabeth Agianna, what in God's name…?" her father thundered. 

Her mother shook her head. "Chris…"

"The world's in danger, and I have to go try and make things right. I don't know when, or if, I'll be back, but I want you to know I love you," she said, trying very hard not to burst into tears. 

Her mother put down her book. "Yes, I had a nice long discussion about this earlier with your wizard friend. We'll think of a suitable punishment for keeping secrets from us when you return. In the meantime, stay safe dear."

Mr. Agianna was absolutely speechless. The entire conversation was going right over his head. 

"I'll be with Matt and my friend Reo, and they'll protect me. I'll send word if, and when I can."

~*~

"Are you leaving now, Master Reo?" Li questioned as the Alliance gathered together. 

"Yes. Phantomon is in charge, treat him with respect or I'll break your hip."

Lia was sniffling, her eyes glistening with tears she refused to shed. Matt slipped his arm around her shoulders, his expression stony and solemn. 

"The other Digidestined know nothing of this, and they are to know nothing of this," Matt stated. "If anyone asks, tell them…I don't know, tell them something believable!"

Eriol nodded, handing a little flask to Lia. "A sleeping draught, if you need it."

"Thank you," she whispered, trembling with sobs. 

"All right, Alliance, lives and my bishounen are at stake. Let's get this b****-in-heat going!" Reo shouted. 

"Next stop, Gospel City!" Matt added. 

"We are the Alliance of Night's Vigilantes, and we're going to kick some a**!" Lia cried, letting out a war whoop that pierced the night. 

Phantomon watched from the roof. 

"May God have mercy on them all."

The three heroes loaded whatever they used to carry their things into a sizable car, graciously supplied from Reo's garage. While turning the key in the ignition, the Infamous One looked up, seeing Phanto on the roof as he waved. A light smirk came across his face, and he flicked a cigarette to the ground as he pulled the car out towards the road.

"Next stop, America." Lia sighed; Matt just looked out the window with a distant look on his face.

"I hope this trip will be worth it." He said. Reo and Lia both nodded as the car drove through the empty night, towards their destination.

To Be Continued…


	2. Havoc on the High Seas

The Alliance

We're still better than you.

By Kawaii Li'l Lia and the Infamous Boss Reo

Episode Two 

A lone monstrous black SUV cruised the highways of Japan, the roads definitely empty for this time of night. No sensible person, anyway, would be driving around at two fifteen AM. The inside was just as silent as the outside as three teenagers made their way across the country, their destination, Southwestern US of A, specifically a place called Gospel City. 

"Hey Reo?" Matt questioned, watching the median strip from the passenger window. "Just how _are _we getting there?"

The Infamous One, who had been switching off driving duties with the blonde every couple of hours or so, glanced into the rearview mirror. "She's asleep back there, right?"

Matt glanced back at the dark-haired girl sprawled across the bench seat behind them. "Out cold. Why?"

Reo pulled something out and handed it to Matt. "Because it spoils the surprise for her."

"Cruise ship tickets?"

"I don't trust airplanes this day and age. Besides, the food's better and we'll have ourselves our very own see-ment pond."

Matt nodded, unbuckling and clamoring over the seats. 

"What are you doing? You know you'll have to drive next time we stop."

"Yeah, so that's why I'm getting some sleep," Matt retorted, nudging his girlfriend. "Hey…"

"Mm, get your own seat, this one's mine," she whined groggily. 

Reo chuckled. "Even in her sleep she tells you what to do."

Lia slid over, allowing her boyfriend to sidle up against her. 

"This is the last night of sleeping in the car, I promise," he murmured, toying with a strand of her hair. 

"It better be, I think the seatbelt buckle's digging into my side," the semiconscious author mumbled. Reo was quietly laughing in the front seat. 

~*~

"Where are they now?"

"On their way out of the country, Lord Chingg, by cruise ship."

The assemblage of mercenaries and assassins buzzed with conversation around their metal conference table, each one of them cursing the Alliance and making death threats. 

"Well?"

"Well what, Sir?" one of them asked. 

"Well, what are you buffoons doing about it?" the overlord bellowed. 

Sexx Kitten, the only female present, sighed, sharpening her claws with a metal nail file. 

"Relax, we've already got our best operatives and a hoard of ninjas on board the ship. Those piddly little runts won't escape…then I can sink my claws into that little Angel whore."

"They'd better do their job, or _you'll _be the ones who pay."

"Yes, Boss," they murmured as one as the transmission flicked off. 

~*~

"Blingg, I'm beginning to feel I made a mistake in hiring them," the crime lord sighed. He sat in a large, elegant bath while a young Chinese girl sat behind him, gently rubbing his back. 

"Don't worry, Lord Chingg," she smiled. "I assure you that each one of them as a collective can be very powerful." 

The man known as Chah Chingg, billionaire and CEO of the CTBW Corporation, closed his eyes and leaned back in his tub.

"I should also tell you that there has been progress made on the young Wallace boy," his assistant, Bling Blingg, said with a smile. Chingg groaned happily as her hands squeezed his shoulders.

"Finally, something useful has been done." Bling wrapped her arms around his finely toned chest. 

"There's something else that can be useful for you," she whispered. 

Chingg raised an eyebrow and gently held her hand. 

"Such a young girl like you CAN be fruitful for a person my age…" he grinned. Bling smiled as well, only to gasp in pain as Chingg's hand quickly jerked hers downward, her wrist making a snapping noise. 

"…But I have better things to do." Bling Blingg whimpered in pain as Chingg rose from the water. His other hand firmly wrapped around her neck.

"The first thing you are to know is that you are a mere secretary," he said. "…anything else, and I would have paid you for it by now. Is that clear?" 

The young girl choked and nodded slowly. 

"Good," Chingg said, and loosened his grip around her neck, making her fall forward into the bath water. 

"Now clean this mess up," he said, as he fit on a robe and walked out of the large bathroom.

~*~

"Here it is!" Reo proclaimed proudly as the morning sun shone down on the three heroes. "Ain't it a beaut'?" 

Lia and Matt just looked over their new surroundings; buffet tables, shuffleboards and all. 

"Reo, if I weren't already dating Matt, I'd say I love you," Lia said. 

"Me too." Matt added. The Infamous One just chuckled and picked up his bag, heading down the side of the ship.

"And check this out!" he said. "There's a vending machine right next to our room!" He whistled happily as he kicked open the door to said room, and both Matt and Lia quickly rushed in. Their faces suddenly dropped.

"Um…Reo?" Lia asked. "What is this?"

"Our room," the author replied. 

Lia just shook her head slowly. "Noooooo… this isn't our room," she said. 

Reo looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. 

"Why not?" he asked. Lia twitched.

"Why not?" she asked. "Why not??" she repeated. "BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY ONE BED!!! THAT'S WHY NOT!!!" 

Reo just blinked, then looked at the lone bed that sat in their room. "I don't see what your point is," he said.

"Reo, me and Lia wanted to have our own bed, you know!" Matt said, folding his arms. Reo grinned.

"For what?" he asked coyly. 

Both Lia and Matt gulped, then blushed. "Well… you see…" 

At that moment, a small container fell out of Reo's pocket. Lia looked down at the small bottle and widened her eyes as she recognized the K.Y. brand name.

Reo whistled to himself and quickly picked up the bottle with his foot. (I've got flexible toes! ^__^) Lia frowned at him and folded her arms like Matt.

"Reo…" she growled. 

The Infamous One smiled innocently and threw his bag in the closet. 

"Force of habit," he chuckled nervously. "Besides, it was the only thing I could afford." 

Lia sighed and leaned against the doorframe, while Matt went to work putting their things away.

~*~

After probably half an hour of unpacking and claiming dresser drawers and closet space, Lia coughed and pointed to the door. Her roommates glanced up from the television, raising eyebrows in question. 

"Go find something to do elsewhere," she stated sternly, motioning towards the door again. 

"Why? It's our room too," Reo protested, flicking to another movie channel. 

Lia sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. "I'd like to take a shower and I want to do it without you two perving at me."

Matt's eyes widened in feigned innocence. "You really think I would do that to you?"

Lia rolled her eyes. "Given the chance you'd come in with me. Now get the hell out, both of you."

Reo and Matt trudged out into the hallway, listening for the final click as Lia locked the door behind them. 

"Now what?" Matt sighed, stealing a longing glance at the door behind him. 

Grinning, Reo held up one of the room keys. "We take a little stroll, make her think we've gone off to the casinos or something, then sneak right back in. If we play our cards right, we can get in there right as she's toweling off."

Matt's eyes lit up. "I like the way you think."

"Yeah, well that's why I'm the brains of this operation."

~*~

The agents of the Professionals were milling about as inconspicuously as they could, trying their best not to seem as though they were spying on the two young heroes as they sidestepped the geezers playing shuffleboard. A few, sporting surveillance equipment, listened in on their conversation.

"How can you own a mansion and your own private jet and not afford to get _two _luxury suites?" 

"Would you shut up about the bed already?"

Matt paused, fumbling around with something in his pockets. "We _are _letting her take it, right?"

Reo sighed in annoyance. "For the last time, we'll rotate! She gets it tonight."

The blonde nodded complacently. "So…what's our game plan for when we get there?"

Reo shrugged. "Find a nice little bungalow to settle down in, air out our spandex, give our powers a brisk workout, then hunt down the bastards that took my Wallace and tear them to shreds."

"Works for me."

The spies grinned, jotting down all they'd heard and sending it to the overseer of their operation. They had identified two of the Alliance members, and the third, the female, was somewhere in the vicinity. 

"It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel," one of them snickered. 

"Why would anyone want to do that?" another questioned. The first smacked the second in the head. 

"Moron! It's an expression!"

"Ohhhhh, I see."

"It's not a very good one," a third stated. 

"Couldn't you use something easier, like 'it'll be like taking candy from a baby?' Like that, man?" another one piped up. 

"Lord Chingg will kill you all for your incompetence someday, you'll see," the first mole grumbled. 

~*~

Yamato gave a bored yawn. "Don't you think we should try and get into the room now?"

"HAH! That's twenty more points! Pay up, Gramps!" Reo laughed triumphantly at an old man wearing dark visor-glasses. (Then again, don't they all?) Matt just groaned, dropping his shuffleboard stick and heading down the halls.

"Where you goin'?" the scythe-wielding hero asked as the old man gave him his dentures. 

"…To get a drink or something," Matt answered. 

Reo shrugged and tossed his stick away as well. "He's right. I guess it's time I worked on my sun-basking anyway."

~*~

Steam filled the small room as Lia showered. Outside the bathroom, a shadowed figure crept towards the door…

"So I sez… ya don't think it'd be coming out that way… never see's it coming, so I was like… BAM! BOOM BABY! YEAH!!" the figure rambled to himself in an inane way. He chuckled evilly and silently opened the door to the shower room. A dark blush crept across his darkened face as his evil eyes peeked in, stealing a look on the one known as Fallen Angel as she had her back to him.

"Oh yeah, baby…" he thought, then without a word, pulled out a small round object, attaching it to the wall.

"I's gots ta get me sum later," he chuckled to himself again. "Nice n' juicy…" 

He pressed a button on the small device, which caused a set of numbers to appear on its lens. He then slunk out of the bathroom, once again creeping back into the shadows, 

"Nice eyein' ya, sweetsie." He grinned. (Of course, considering his mouth was covered, you couldn't see it.)

~*~

"…On the rocks, please," Matt said, leaning against the bar. The middle-aged bartender nodded and walked away from him, retrieving his drink. Yamato just nodded back in thanks and proceeded to drink, occasionally rubbing his forehead.

"Why the hell did I come?" he thought, then took another drink. Gentle piano music played behind him, while a lounge singer charmed the small audience who gathered around him and the pianist behind him. Matt scoffed to himself, shaking his head as he turned back to the bar.

"It seems like only yesterday I was at that summer camp…" he thought, then set his glass on the counter.

"Refill?" the bartender asked. 

Matt just nodded. "And I'll take a Bloody Mary, too," he added. 

The bartender shrugged and refilled his empty glass, then once again walked away.

Matt sighed and rested his head on the counter. 

"I'm getting a headache," he thought. At that moment, the bartender returned. However, instead of placing his order for a Bloody Mary, he set down instead a different drink.

"Huh?" Matt blinked and looked up. "Um… I think I ordered a different drink."

"The young man down the bar ordered it for you," the older man said, motioning towards the end of the bar. Matt raised an eyebrow and looked, seeing a young boy, about his age with brown hair that almost hung over his eyes. Yamato blushed as he smiled and gave a small wave to him.

"Oh boy…"

~*~

The Infamous One, of course, was enjoying his 'me-time'. He lay comfortably on in a sun-chair, wearing nothing but a pair of Speedos. A pair of dark glasses covered his eyes, and he lay motionless.

"Ladies," he said politely as a pair of young girls walked past him, heading towards the pool. One of them giggled, winking at him. A smile crept upon Reo's face, and he continued lying in the sun.

"So is there a piece of driftwood in those Speedos? Or are you just enjoying the sights?" a female voice said. 

Reo raised an eyebrow and took off his glasses. There in front of him stood a girl about his age, wearing a purple one-piece and with rather pale skin and long dark hair, which flowed almost to her ankles.

"Would it be of any difference if I said it was a piece of driftwood?" he smiled. 

The girl just smirked. "Yer real cute," she remarked, "almost like a little Baby Jesus."

"Well I've never really thought of naming it THAT, but…"

"Ease up, Sparky," the girl said, folding her arms. "You could at least start by ordering me a drink." 

Reo smiled. "You started it," he said. "You could at least start by giving me your name."

"In that case, it's Shiloh," the gothic looking young lady said. 

"The pleasure's all mine," Reo said. "I go by the name of…"

"I already know your name, Reo," Shiloh said. 

The Infamous One blinked, "How did you…?" 

The girl smirked and sat down in the chair next to him. "Call it woman's intuition," she said.

"…For the time being." 

Reo said, "So what's up?"

"You mean besides you, from the look of it?" Shiloh asked. Reo just gave her a coy look. 

"There's nothing wrong with that," he said. 

Shiloh yawned and lay back in her chair. "Oh please," she said. "Yer about as good at it as Emerich was…"

"How did you know about Emerich?" Reo cut in, asking sternly. 

Shiloh passed him a look with her dark eyes. "Don't be so tense, 'Boss'," she said. "I used to go to The School."

Reo narrowed his eyes and looked at her. "You actually made it through that?" he asked. 

The girl nodded. "With flying colors," she said, resting a pair of sunglasses on her eyes. Reo just continued staring at her, then shrugged and lay back down. 

"Well then I guess you and I have something in common," he said. "And it's just 'Reo' from now on. I gave up being called Boss." 

Shiloh just grinned. "Whatever you say, 'Boss'," she said.

~*~

After downing his drink and bolting from the bar, in hopes to hide from his would-be admirer, Matt made his way back to the room. He checked his pockets, pulling out the spare room key and fitting it in the lock. 

"Just ignore that kid in the bar, you've got a girlfriend, a lovely girlfriend," he reassured himself, sliding into the room and flopping down onto the bed with the remote. 

"Matt hanging out with Reo, no good can come from that," Lia muttered, struggling to comb the tangles out of her long near-black hair. "I hope they're gone for the rest of the afternoon."

She sighed, rewrapping her towel tighter, and heading out into the room…only to find Matt lounging on the bed, remote in his hand. 

"What the hell are you doing back here?" she shrieked, wrapping her arms protectively around herself. 

"Watching 'Titanic,'" he replied without looking up. "Terrible movie to have on during a cruise."

"How…how did you get back?"

"Room key."

Lia glared at him darkly, the ends of her hair dripping on the carpet. "So what do you want, hmm? To perv at me in my towel? And where's Reo?"

Matt hit the mute button, getting up from the bed and walking over to her, placing cold hands on her shoulders. 

"Reo's off amusing himself…I'm pretty sure he won't be back for a while."

Lia's glance met his. "Oh…is that so?"

"And as for what I want…I think I'd like one rather wet, heavily blushing angelic superhero in a towel, if that can be arranged."

The dark-haired girl smiled coyly at him. "Well, I suppose we _might _be able to arrange that."

~*~

Chah Chingg sat at his desk, his fingers gripping the arms of his chair as he waited for his transmission to connect. 

"Goddamn modem," he hissed, tapping his foot impatiently. 

"Sir, yes Sir?" came the militant query of the head ninja aboard the cruise ship. 

"Where is that goddamn Professional, you festering wad of horse s***?"

The villain in question appeared on the screen after shoving the little underling aside. 

"What chu need, Boss?" he drawled. 

"Is everything going according to plan?" Chah Chingg asked tensely, feeling the vein in his forehead swell. 

"Sure is. I's put that bomb in them's room…it should be goin' off in fourteen minutes, thirty five…thirty four…thirty three…thirty two…"

"I get the picture. And are all three in the room?"

"Well, uh, I knows the girl is…oh yeah, I definitely knows the girl is…"

"Imbecile! You can't blow up just _one _of them! They _all _must die!"

The rather incompetent villain, known as Boom-Boom, nodded. "Yessir. They's gonna all be squashed under my thumb…but can we take the girly-girl for our own? She's a piece of work!"

Chah Chingg contemplated the thought for a moment. "Kill the Kaiser and DarkScythe…we'll see about the Fallen Angel."

"Yessir." The transmission flicked off, leaving Chah Chingg alone to mull over his thoughts. 

~*~

The gentle ocean sun shone down on the pool where Reo lay, alongside the mysterious girl known only as Shiloh.

"So what's the deal, creamy?" the Infamous One asked, getting a rather unamused look from the girl due to his pet name. 

"Emerich's school isn't exactly open to the public, so you either got a real good reason for taking it, or he's showing a bigger fancy to the female population, dig?"

"Dig this, 'Boss'…" Shiloh said, suddenly clamping her hand around Reo's Speedos. The holder of the Lemon Scythe nearly went numb as she dug her fingernails in.

"If I wanted to give you my life story, I'd have written a book for you. So if you think you can get by with the little cute names and such, yer way off track." 

Reo groaned in near-unconsciousness. "Does that mean yer gonna let go of my nuts now?" he asked weakly. 

Shiloh smirked and released her hand, while Reo hunched forward, groaning in pain. 

The pale girl lay on her back, going back to reading her fantasy book. 

Reo fit his shades back on and relaxed once again, lifting his head towards the sky and letting the sun gleam off his glasses. This, of course, managed to get into Shiloh's eyes.

"I take it you weren't too cute with Emerich, either?" The Infamous One grinned.

~*~

"Oh Matt…" Lia moaned softly. The young blonde bishounen kissed down her neck, while he gently held her hand. The young girl giggled, and was certainly surprised at the sudden change in her boyfriend's mood towards her.

"Why so frisky all of a sudden?" she smiled, leaning her head back and sitting down on the bed. Matt just smiled and knelt down in front of her, meeting their lips again.

"Let's just say I want to reassure myself," he whispered, before pulling her towel down her shoulders. The two of them embraced and lay back on the soft bed, while Yamato quickly worked to remove his shirt and pants. 

"Easy there, Tiger," the angelic hero giggled. Matt blushed and chuckled as he tossed his pants off the side of the bed. Lia smiled as he made a growl, then kissed her again, this time more passionately.

~*~

"So what are you doing on this ship, Boss?" Shiloh questioned, not even glancing up from her book. Reo was unsure if he should answer with what he was thinking, still reeling from her last blow.

"It's really none of your business," he retorted, getting up. 

She glanced up at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And where are you headed?"

"Again, none of your concern. But if you must know, probably to raid the vending machines, play a few rounds of roulette in the casino, and check in on my roommates. I don't trust them alone for more than three minutes."

Reo walked off…well; more like limped off, thinking bitterly to himself, "Wallace had better be appreciative of this. The things I go through…"

Little did he know that as he was leaving the pool area, Boom-Boom was arriving. He checked his watch, groaned at the fact that the bomb still had some time left before detonation, and laid down on a chaise lounge, trying to find the sweetest piece of eye candy available. The little underling spies scurried around, coming in and out to report things, and he paid little attention to their hurried whispers. 

"Stupid runts. I's coulda done this mission without thems."

~*~

Meanwhile, in a large corporate building somewhere in the Southwestern US, the little Chinese secretary known as Bling Blingg was making her way down a flight of stairs with a little Styrofoam container. She paused outside a tightly secured door, hit the entrance code, and stepped inside.

A young boy was sprawled on the slab of a bed, using his shirt as a pillow. He was a prisoner of her employer, kept in a stark white room, completely empty except for the bed and a surveillance camera mounted in the corner. Wallace stirred now, glancing up at the secretary with eyes bloodshot from continued nights of sobbing. He was alone, frightened, and his D-terminal's batteries had given up the ghost two nights previously, so he had no way of contacting the outside world. The billionaire crime lord continually slipped narcotics in with the boy's meager meals, keeping him in drugged submission.

"Here, kid. Lord Chingg doesn't want you collapsing before…what's _that _look for?"

Wallace's face screwed up, fresh tears welling in his eyes. "I wanna go home! I didn't do anything to you, so why am I being kept here?"

Bling sighed; it was the same sob story he told everyone. "It's not what you did, it's what your boyfriend and his cronies did."

Wallace blinked childishly. "But what did Reo, Matt and Lia do that made you guys kidnap me? They're the nicest people in the world, and if you do anything to hurt them I'll…"

"Little boy, you are in no position to be making threats. I suggest you eat your bread and keep quiet before you wind up in an uncompromising situation."

~*~

"…He doesn't deserve to be treated this way," the young boy said, gazing at Wallace through the window. Vase, as he was called, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I know how he feels, you know," he sighed; behind him stood Shadder. The near giant of a man stood silently, his arms folded and his hair covering his eyes. "What Chah Chingg orders happens," he said simply. Vase sighed and pressed his hand against the glass.

Shadder looked down at the boy, resting a hand on his shoulder as he held his head down.

"There is nothing we can do," he said quietly. 

There was no response from the boy though. The older boy looked down in confusion. 

"Vase?" He nudged him a little, and the boy began to shudder suddenly. 

"…Don't touch me," he growled; a dark tone overcame his voice. 

Shadder observed him, removing his hand. 

"I apologize," he said, "I only meant to…"

"I NEVER SAID YOU COULD TOUCH ME!!!" Vase turned around quickly, surprising Shadder as he threw him against the wall. The young man shook his head to clear his vision, looking up to find Vase standing before him, his skin deathly pale and his eyes slit almost in a reptilian way.

"Vase, calm down…" Shadder said softly. Vase growled and dug his fingers into his arm, almost making him cry out in pain. 

"The next time you even lay one of yer filthy little paws on me, Meat-bag…" Vase warned him, a long tongue slithering from his mouth and drooling a sort of green liquid. 

"I'm gonna yank off yer sack like a paper towel and eat it." He chuckled evilly as an arm formed of energy began to lift Shadder into the air. Vase suddenly went limp, and what appeared to be a snake-like spirit rose from his twitching body.

"You don't know how crowded it is in there," he hissed. "And I can't stand being cramped!!!" 

"Bulgrim, get back in here!" another voice sounded from Vase's throat, this time sounding more low toned and mature. "If you leave the boy's body, you'll flake away! We don't need that at this point!"

The essence, which seemed to be called Bulgrim snorted and glanced back at Shadder. 

"Let this be a warning, Meat-sack," he hissed, and dropped Shadder, returning to Vase's young body. The young boy collapsed to the floor, while Shadder looked at him with an emotionless statement. Dusting himself off and inspecting his arms, he picked up the fragile young boy in his arms.

"Your soul will rest some day, Vase." He whispered as he carried him down the hallway, "And this torture will finally end."

~*~

Reo breezed through the casino, deciding that playing against the honeymooning couples and the old folks wearing cataract glasses weren't worth his time, or his money for that matter. The girl Shiloh, who had left a neat little row of red crescents from her fingernails on his aching flesh, was nowhere in the vicinity, which was probably a good thing. He sighed deeply, leaving the hustle, bustle and one-armed bandits. The scythe-toting hero leaned against the railing, staring off into the horizon. 

"Wallace…" he murmured, feeling his throat tighten. 

"You sound as though you lost a friend," someone said from behind him. 

Reo whirled on his heel, finding a young boy standing behind him. Not an overly bad-looking kid, with brown hair that flopped into his eyes. 

"My name's…uh, just call me Marky," he said with an all-too chipper tone. 

"Reo," was the muttered reply. 

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to…nah, you couldn't. Too big of a cruise ship."

Growing annoyed, Reo snapped at the boy, "What?"

Marky blushed. "You don't happen to know a guy I saw in the bar today, do you? Um, he's about your age, probably about five-ten, really thin, longish blonde hair, bright blue eyes, kinda depressed-looking?"

"Yeah, he's rooming with me, but…"

"Do you think he'd want to go to dinner with me? I mean, I don't even know him, but he's just so…_incredible_ that 

I…could you maybe ask him?"

"Well I…"

"You're the best, thanks!" the Marky kid rambled, hurrying off probably to dress for dinner. 

Reo blinked. "I wonder what'll happen when this kid finds out Matt's got a girlfriend…"

~*~

Wallace sat on his bed, staring glumly at the lifeless D-terminal in his hands. He couldn't stand the isolation, his only companions being his captors. One of them would come in at night and lean over his bed as he drifted off into a drug-laced sleep, whispering horrible things to him, trying to break his spirit. 

"They're trying to save you, pathetic fools, coming here by ship. We've filled it with some of our best operatives, and do you know what they'll do?" the rogue would ask, before launching into a gore-filled soliloquy full of torture. 

"Oh, they won't kill your friends right out, no, that's too easy. Beat 'em black and blue, cut 'em, gouge their eyeballs out, rape, doing a Lorena Bobbit to the gents', break bones and spirits alike, leave them all bleeding and raw both inside and out, when they're begging for death, and _then _they'll die. And it'll be all your fault, kiddo."

Lia's Note: Lorena Bobbit is/was this lady who caught her husband having an affair and cut his *ahem* off in a fit of rage. 

"I have to warn them," Wallace muttered, trying to think of something he could use to reenergize his piece of electronic equipment. "That _won't _happen, that won't!"

He glanced around the room, lighting upon the video camera perched high in the corner of the room. 

"Bingo." Now he had the answer, but there was still another question that remained…getting the camera down without breaking it. 

Meanwhile, upstairs, Cha Chingg was monitoring Wallace's every move, watching as the boy tried to use his shirt to lasso the apparatus. 

"The little bastard's getting too smart," he grumbled, issuing a string of curses under his breath before hitting an intercom. "Bling?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Send somebody down to 57E with a hypo of narcs, the little spitfire needs to be smothered."

"Right away, Sir."

Cha Chingg narrowed his eyes, a devious grin spreading across his face. 

"You will fall, Alliance, and your little Wallace friend will be the key to your undoing."

~*~

To be continued…


	3. Trouble, thou art named Marky

The Alliance

Yup, still better.

By Kawaii Li'l Lia and the Infamous Boss Reo

Episode 3

"Iiiiii duuuunnoooooo… what this woooorld's gonna briiiing….." Reo sang to himself, remembering the catchy little tune by Trick Daddy as he walked casually down the hall of the ship to his cabin. It seemed out of his time to do something like this, but considering how much of a mess he had already gotten his fellow Alliance members in, it didn't bother him all that much. 

"Boy, will Lia be in for a surprise," he thought, finding himself nearing the door to his room. 

A sudden cry brought his attention, and his eyes widened as he realized it was coming from the room! 

Springing into action, he raced towards the door, still hearing what sounded like Lia, moaning loudly. 

"Wait a minute…" 

The Infamous One raised an eyebrow and slowly brought his hand to the doorknob. A few crashes and bangs could be heard behind the door, and he drew his Lemon Scythe in caution. Taking a few moments to gather his thoughts, he took a deep breath and raised his foot, kicking the door in. 

"REO!!!" Lia screamed. 

"REO!!!" Matt yelled. 

"AAAUUUGHHH!!! MY VIRGIN EYES!!!!" the Infamous One shrieked. Sure enough, there was 'Fallen Angel' and 'Kaiser', naked as the day they were born and positioned on the bed. (I'd say more, but I'll leave that for the special "Hidden Lemon Chapter" ;D) 

"Reo! What the hell are you doing?!" Lia yelled, gathering some bed sheets to cover herself up. A goat could be heard somewhere, but that was just for fun. 

"Obviously not getting here soon enough!" Reo chuckled, taking a quick snap of his camera. 

Matt's face reddened and he quickly grabbed a pillow to cover himself. "You could have knocked first, you know!" he said. 

"I heard you both screaming and I came in!" the carrier of the Lemon Scythe shrugged. "How was I supposed to know you two were going at it like Tokomons in heat?!" 

"The 'Do Not Disturb' sign could have been a hint," Lia growled. 

"Oh you know I never pay attention to those," Reo said, crossing his arms. He gave a quick glance to Matt before giving a thumbs-up. Yamato's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

There was a moment of awkward silence, in which Lia blinked a few times, then cocked her head in question. 

"Wha…" Matt started to say. She shook her head. 

"Something…Reo, go check out the wall next to the bathroom door."

The Infamous One snorted. "Me?! Why me?"

"One, we're not dressed. Two, you're armed. Three…BECAUSE I SAID SO!"

Matt chuckled. "She's got you there."

Reo grumbled something under his breath and headed over to the wall, examining it closely before discovering a certain spherical object mounted there. 

"Holy s***!" 

"What?!" his partners cried. 

"It's a bomb!" 

"And my day just continues to get worse and worse," Matt sighed. 

~*~

"BOOM-BOOM!" 

The secret agent of the Professionals, who had been lounging poolside for some time now, was awoken by the sound of his boss hollering into his ear through video-com. 

"Yeah, Boss? What you need?"

"It's been two hours! Are those damn teenagers dead or what?"

Boom-Boom checked his watch. Although the timer on his explosive had long since gone off, there had been not a single explosion anywhere on the ship. 

"I…don't…know, Sir."

"You don't know? _YOU DON'T KNOW?!"_

Boom-Boom started thinking back to when he planted the bomb. 

"How many zeros did you program in?" Chah Chingg asked with growing impatience. 

"Huh?"

"_How many zeros, _idiot?"

"………Four, Sir."

"_INCOMPETENT FOOL! THERE WERE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE **TWO **ZEROS! YOU SET IT FOR FIFTEEN **HOURS **AND NOT FIFTEEN MINUTES!"_

"Oh, so that's why it didn't go off!" 

Chah Chingg let out an infuriated shriek. "If you don't get rid of those goddamned kids within the next twenty-four hours consider your position terminated. I have too much at stake here, and I won't let anything muck it up. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yah, I guess."

The screen shut off, leaving Boom-Boom alone, save for the little underlings scurrying about. 

"Hey you, number 23465937, go get me a stiff drink!"

The little lackey turned. "Do I look like your servant?"

"Yes."

~*~

Meanwhile, half a deck away, in a quaint little cabin, a young boy sat in front of his mirror, frowning at his reflection. 

"Marky my boy, things may be looking up. Ah, but how's a kid like me supposed to compare with a _god _like him? Dinner has to go well. It has to. I have to get him to like me. And then…"

The brunette boy paused, shivers running up and down his spine as he thought several devilishly delicious thoughts. 

"And then that little uke will be mine. All mine."

He got up from the foot of his bed and rummaged through the complimentary shampoos and towels he had helped himself to and stuffed in his bag, hunting down the proper cologne. Suddenly a thought struck little Marky like a blow to the head. 

"Wait…what if he doesn't like me? Or what if that pale guy outside the casino is his boyfriend? Or worse, what if he's…_straight?!_ No, no you can't think that, Marky. He's your uke! You _will _get him! He _will _be yours! And no one, not that pale guy, not the others, not even the Alliance themselves will stop me from getting what I want."

The young brunette then pulled out yet another bag, zipping it open to reveal an entire cache of weapons! Taking a sigh, he pulled out a rather large Colt, loading it with bullets before pulling up his shirt and placing it in the multi-holster that was strapped around his back.

"Just calm down…" he said softly, "At least give it a shot first." 

There was a sudden beeping that sounded from his pocket, and he pulled out a small cell phone.

"Yes?" he answered, there was a pause. 

"Yes, they're here. I don't know who they are yet, but I know they're here." Marky spun the barrel of a revolver while he kept his ear to the phone, then placed it in another holster. 

"Don't worry, Mr. Chingg. I never botch a target." 

~*~

The door to the three heroes' cabin opened, and Reo peeked his head out. Looking up and down the hall carefully, he slunk back into the room. 

"Okay, there's nobody out there right now," he said, while Matt sat on the bed inspecting the timed explosive. 

"We shouldn't draw any attention while getting rid of this thing," the blonde bishounen said. The Infamous One just gave a short curse. 

"Dammit, Matt! We're on a boat in the middle of the f***in' ocean! Why don't we just toss it overboard!?!" 

"And accidentally blow up an innocent dolphin or fishies???!!!" Lia cut in. A dark cloud loomed over Reo's head. 

"I'm partnered with hippies…" he muttered. Matt's eyes lit up suddenly.

"I think I got it!" he announced, both Reo and Lia looked over his shoulder as he brought a pair of wire cutters to the blue wire. Immediately upon cutting it, the timer went from 13:28 to 00:10. 

"…We're dead," Lia groaned, slapping her hand to her forehead. Matt just chuckled nervously and sweatdropped. 

"It's no biggie!" he said. Reo just slapped him upside the head. 

"Well, this is it. It's been a pleasure working with you, Reo. Lia, I…"

"Shut up for a minute and hand me that bomb, Casanova!" Lia snapped, wrenching the explosive from her boyfriend's hands. Reo handed her the wire cutters. She clipped the redwire and stopped the ticking bomb one point five seconds before detonation. She touched the wire innards and muttered something. 

"Can I inquire as to what you're doing?" Reo asked. 

"Just a precaution. Ever since we became partners, Wizardmon's been teaching me in rudimentary magic. And he also told me that the _red _wire is always the one that stops the bomb…any James Bond flick can tell you that."

Reo glared at Matt. "And what were we watching right before we left the room? Hmm? Could that have been _Goldeneye?"_

"All right, enough. The important thing is where this came from," Lia stated. 

Matt flipped the bomb over in her hands. "Property of the Professionals. This means the vacation part of the trip just officially ended, didn't it?"

Reo sighed. "I guess we'll be carrying concealed weapons to dinner…which reminds me…hey Ishida, did you meet some kid in the bar today?"

"I…think so. Why?"

"He invited you to dinner."

"Wait…brown hair, kinda short, looks a bit like Trowa?"

The Infamous One nodded. Matt blanched, looking utterly depressed. 

"Not him! Ye gods, not him! It's bad enough I have girls following me around but now guys too? He'll end up being a little gay Jun, I just know it now!" 

Lia shot her lover a venomous look. "Yamato dear, _who _is this?"

~*~

The assembly of Professionals met again in their reinforced conference room, grumbling loudly over their latest foil. 

"Boom-Boom…what a joke! I can't believe the boss put him in charge!"

"At least they have Marky. Marky should correct things."

"Marky is just a kid, and an inexperienced one at that. Do you really think he'll be of any use?"

"Sure! Marky has better aim than those three kids put together, and he's bound to be sharper than Boom-Boom. He'll fix things up in no time!"

"Are you kidding? He's bound to make things worse, the way he carries on about the Kaiser!"

"You seem to have a thing for him too, Kitten."

"Well at least I don't go around wondering if the Angel's wings get in her way in bed!"

"ENOUGH, ALL OF YOU!"

Chah Chingg appeared on the overhead screen, looking far more perturbed than ever. 

"Sir?" the group of assassins asked. 

"The Alliance defused the bomb planted in their room!"

"DAMMIT!"

"…However, Marky is attempting to correct things…where's Vase?"

Shadder coughed. "Guard duty outside that kid's cell."

Chingg's eyes narrowed. "Did we assign that?"

"Yessir, you did last night."

"Fine, fine. Remember, my Professionals, failure is not an option. If Boom-Boom fails to kill them, he will be the first example of what _not _to do."

~*~

"So helpless…" Vase looked into the white cell where Wallace was held. With a sigh, he leaned forward, eyeing the young blonde sympathetically.

"…Kindred spirit…" he said to himself. "Trapped and tormented by those of unspeakable evil…" he pressed against the glass as he sighed, closing his eyes. He looked back through the glass to young Wallace. 

"…He's beautiful," he whispered. "If we weren't where we were, I'd be in love with you this minute, holding you in my arms." Being a young child himself, it might seem surprising to hear this coming from the young Vase. He lowered his face again, pressing his palm against the glass.

"I can't let this pass by," he said, and quickly looked up and down the halls before typing in a code to the heavily armored door to Wallace's cell. 

Vase nearly trembled in sheer excitement as he stepped closer and closer to the sleeping Wallace. 

Finally, he found himself leaning over him, admiring his features while he slept.

"Angel," he whispered, and brought his hand down to brush against his cheek.

He could feel the warmth of his breath. His glasses seemed to fog up as well, and he gulped. A small whimper escaped from the captive bishounen as Vase closed his eyes once more, leaning in and kissing him gently. 

"R…Reo," Wallace muttered, moving in his sleep. Vase looked at him, feeling a lump in his throat as he heard the name uttered from the boy's lips.

"I'm here," he finally answered, leaning closer to the sleeping blonde. His hand gently cupped the bishounen like a female lion would to her fresh kill. 

~*~

Matt walked nervously through the dining room while he scanned the area. Behind him, Lia followed suit as she stuck close to him. He gave a nod towards them as he sat down, nervously awaiting the arrival of his admirer.

"This isn't right, Reo!" she hissed. "Why the hell are we even doing this?! He's mine!"

The Infamous One just rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, taking a roll from the basket on the table and munching on it. "Call it experimentation," he said. Lia just glared at him. 

"Experimentation?" she asked. Reo just nodded. 

"You really need to lighten up on him, Lia," the scythe-wielding author said. "I mean, he's totally whipped. He doesn't even buy a playboy or anything."

"What's so bad about him not getting a magazine?" the brunette author cut in. "I think it's very sweet of him to show how loyal he is, and that he doesn't need the image of another girl to keep him satisfied."

"Is that why you have a Stonehenge of 'Nude Bishounen in Heat' in your closet?" Reo asked. Lia's face went blank and her face turned a beet red.

"Oh just lay off, Angel-baby," Reo said, he and Lia both sitting down at a table not too far from where Matt sat. 

"How did you know about that?" she asked quickly. The Infamous One just took another roll. 

"You'd be surprised how much of a big-mouth Wizardmon is after sex," he answered. "At least, from how Gatomon said it."

"I'm going to make violin strings out her and sew Wizardmon's mouth even more tightly with them," she grumbled.

The two of them glanced back over at the awaiting Matt. 

"Looks like his lover-boy's here," Reo smiled.

~*~

"Oh great," Matt groaned to himself, and he put down his menu as the young boy walked towards him.

"Um…hi," he said nervously, "I guess you got my message?"

"Yeah… the name's Matt," the blonde said, smiling and rising to shake his hand.

"Marky," the brunette answered. "I'm sorry…it's just that I've never done anything like this before, and I…"

"It's okay." Matt smiled. "Care to sit down?" Marky blushed as he made the offer, and he quickly sat down, smiling nervously at the blonde bishounen. 

Well, I think calling him a male Jun might be putting it too harshly… Matt thought.

~*~

Lia just sank her head against the table.

"There, there," Reo said, patting her head. 

"You know, Lia…" The brunette glanced at him. "If anything, I'd have to say…well…"

"Spit it out, Reo. I don't have all day," she said. Reo just blushed. 

"Well…I'm jealous of you two," he finally said. Lia's arms went to her sides. 

"You? Jealous of me?" she scoffed. "Oh come on, Reo!"

"No, I'm serious," the Infamous One said. "You and him get to spend so much time together. You date regularly…hell, you even fight crime together!" he sighed, looking back over at Matt. "To be honest, I wish I had that sort of thing, sometimes."

"Reo, you're one of the best authors I know," Lia said. "You have Wallace, what more could you want?"

"I just feel like he deserves more than I can give him," the pale scythe-wielder said. Lia just raised an eyebrow. 

"This is coming from the guy who wrote a lemon of the Gazimon in a threesome?" she asked. The two of them chuckled.

"I guess you're right," Reo said, and he looked over the table at her. "But sometimes…I wonder what I would have been like if I had someone else." His cheeks seemed to redden a bit, and he laughed a bit. "But who am I kidding?" he asked.

"Yeah…" Lia smiled, her cheeks seeming to redden a bit as well.

The scythe-wielder said, "For god's sake, he's in danger because of me!"

"Now Reo…" Lia rested her hand against his. "This wasn't your fault." 

There was a short pause between the two of them. 

"You wouldn't be saying that if you really knew me, Lia," he finally said. Lia looked at him, sensing a deep emotion from within him.

"Listen to me," she said as his eyes met hers. "You can't help these kinds of things, sometimes." Reo just lowered his head.

He sighed, looked back at her, meeting eye-to-eye once more. 

~*~

A table away, Matt was hardly hearing anything Marky was chattering about. He was staring off across the table, watching Lia and Reo and feeling a deep pang of jealousy in his heart. 

"No! Don't order a full bottle, Reo! They're so expensive! A half-bottle will be fine."

"Oh, come on, Lia. I can afford a full bottle of champagne."

"Yeah, you can afford a full bottle of champagne but not another bed in our room?"

"You know, you and Matt are really starting to annoy me about that." 

His stomach turned as he watched her, laughing and being the coy little flirt she was. 

No…I've lost too many loved ones…not her too… 

The touch of a hand on his thigh snapped him back to reality. "Matt? Did you hear me? Lobster or steak?"

"I…I'll be right back," he muttered, excusing himself from the table. 

Reo glanced up at the fleeing Matt, getting up himself. 

"Order for me, kay?" he asked. "I'll be back in a few. _Full bottle._"

Lia looked confused. "Reo, wait! Where are you going? What's going on? Reo!"

The scythe-wielding hero hurried out of the dining hall and out onto the open deck, where Matt was leaning over the railing. 

"Watch it now, you don't want to throw up on the other tourists."

Matt glanced up over his shoulder, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and looking absolutely green. Reo smirked. 

"Forget to take your Dramamine in your rush to get laid?" he chuckled. 

"No…"

"Then what's going on? You were fine a minute ago. Something bugging you, Ishida? You're a wreck tonight."

Matt slammed his fist against the metal rail. "I can't do this, Reo! I can't! Something's telling me that this whole thing is wrong!"

Reo blinked. "This is about the Marky kid, isn't it? C'mon Matt, you can't be chained down to one woman forever. You've gotta broaden your horizons before you're a geezer and you're too old to do anything in bed other than sleep and drool! She's got you whipped and you know it."

Matt's eyes widened as he inhaled a sharp, shuddery breath. To Reo, he looked as though he might vomit again. 

"I…I can't. I just can't. My whole life…everything I've ever loved was taken away from me. My mother and brother walking out of my life at seven, parting ways with Gabumon, my father and my friends so I could go on this goddamned mission. If…if I go with Marky, I'll lose Lia. I can't do that to her, or myself. She's all I have left."

With that he turned, leaned over the railing again, and retched. 

Reo sighed, fumbling around in his pockets for a cigarette. "Somehow I always end up playing guidance councilor to you two."

~*~

Shadder frowned, glancing at the clock in the living room of the Professionals' quarters. 

"Whosever turn it is for guard duty, you're up."

Buzzkill grinned, nudging a set of poker chips into the middle of the table. 

"We've got Vase on all night. It's not like we're guarding anything important, anyway."

Kigo nodded. "Anyone hear from the group on the ship lately?"

There was a murmur of negative replies from around the room. 

"You know Boom-Boom's not doing anything constructive, and who knows what that little runt Marky is up to," Kitten hissed. 

"Wait…just who _is _this Marky kid? Haven't seen him on the payroll sheets," Shadder pointed out, leaning back in the leather recliner. 

"Chingg's got a special contract for him. He's the best hit man money can buy, even if he is a kid. Word is that Chingg's got it out for Boom-Boom since he screwed up with the bomb and Marky's going to be taking over," Ground Zero stated, drawing three cards. 

Shadder nodded, getting up. "I'm going to go grab something from the kitchen and check up on Vase. Lemme know if there's any new reports or anything."

Kigo sighed as soon as the boy left the room. "Kids. They don't know anything."

~*~

Lia was poking at a salad, which was limp with dressing that was a bit heavy on the vinegar, when she noticed someone sitting down in the chair Reo had occupied moments ago. She glanced up and found that it was Marky. 

"Hi there, I'm Marky," he said brightly, extending his hand. 

The dark-haired young woman took it hesitantly. "Lia…" she replied coolly. 

"I couldn't help but notice you sitting there, looking kind of lonely. You must be pretty close to your boyfriend to not let him go too far like that."

Lia was about to reply, when she realized just whom the brown-haired boy meant by 'boyfriend.'

"Reo?! My boyfriend?!"

Marky blinked. "You mean he's not your boyfriend?"

"No! He and I are business partners!"

"But he said that he was rooming with Matt…and if he's your business partner, where does that put you?" Marky asked, his eyes narrowing. 

"I'm Matt's…"

Just then Reo sprinted over to the table, slightly out of breath. 

"Hey Lia, can you come out here for a minute? Matt's this really funky shade of green and to be honest, I don't do vomit."

Lia nodded. "All right, I'll go see if he's all right."

As she followed Reo out, Marky stopped them momentarily. 

"Wait! You're Matt's what?" he called. 

Lia grinned. "I'm his everything girl."

~*~

Matt retreated to a nearby bench now, his chest heaving and his whole body violently shaking. He wasn't sure why he felt so miserable, he just did.

"Is it because I know Reo's words ring true and I won't admit it to myself? No, no it can't be true. Not after everything we've been through. Not after she sacrificed everything for me." 

"I told you that you should've taken Dramamine this morning," Lia said quietly, sitting down beside him. "Now…what's going on here, love?" 

Matt took a few more heavy breaths as he sat down on the bench. 

"Lia…" the young blonde looked into her eyes, his lower lip trembling. "I… I'm not sure of what to do…" 

Reo sighed as he lit his cigarette in his mouth, gazing upward to exhale a puff of smoke. Something caught his attention, however, as a figure suddenly moved atop the ship in the darkness. 

"Matt, it's okay if you're feeling a little unsure…" Lia said, hoping to calm her lover. Her hand rested atop of his. 

"But it's alright…" 

The blonde bishounen looked back at her, wiping his forehead. 

"I'm just… I'm afraid of losing you…" he said softly. Lia blushed. Hoping to get a little insight from Reo's point of view, the two of them looked towards where the Infamous One stood. They were caught by surprise as they found nothing there, save for a smoldered cigarette… 

~*~

Boom-Boom silently crept across the roof of the café, stalking in darkness. 

"Not good enough to stay on the team, huh?" he rambled to himself once more. "Thinks they can replace me, yeah, they've got it coming bad…" 

"They're not the only one." 

The explosive-laced ninja quickly turned around, expecting to find his soon-to-be-dead adversary, but instead finding nothing but the rest of the roof that he was creeping on. Smirking to himself, he turned back around, finding himself face to face with Reo. 

"It's been a while, Boomer," the Infamous said; Boom-Boom quickly jumped back, drawing out a set of throwing daggers. 

"You got too good fer yerself, kid," the ninja said, positioning himself into a battle stance. "Little kids who get to smart fer themselves usually end up dead." 

"If that's what this whole thing's been about, then leave Wallace out of it," the holder of the Lemon Scythe growled. 

Boom-Boom laughed. "Sorry sticklet, but the Boss's gots plans fer the little Juicy-Fruit!" he chuckled. "In case you didn't know, he's still got a mad-on for ya." 

Reo narrowed his eyes and his Lemon Scythe appeared in his grip.

"I always thought you talked too much, Boom-Boom," the Infamous One said. He didn't even notice the presence of shadow-like arms as they crept up around him… 

~*~

Matt was broodingly silent, and Lia wasn't quite sure if it was due to emotional trauma or another wave of nausea. 

"I'm not mad at you," she stated plainly, "about…the dinner thing."

"I know."

"And…I don't want you to think that just because we get into a fight or something I'll go away forever. I couldn't, and I wouldn't run, either."

"I don't think that."

Lia was starting to get frustrated. She knew something was still bothering him, but she couldn't figure out quite what yet. 

"I was jealous, I know. I keep you on a short leash, I know, and I'm sorry. But you understand my reasoning, right? I forfeited Candidacy for you. To sacrifice Candidacy when you're slated by divine power to be of High Rank is blasphemous! And in my case, it was near suicide. Matt, I don't know what else to say to you, except that…"

Matt turned, staring at her with watering eyes. "That what?"

A terrified expression crossed her young face suddenly as the color drained from her cheeks. 

"Reo's in trouble. We have to get onto the roof, now…wait, are you up to this?"

The blonde nodded. "I'll be fine. Let's go."

~*~

Reo struggled to breathe as someone's rather massive hands tightened their grip on his throat. 

"Now come on kid, make this easy on yerself. Tell me where yer little friends are hiding and I'll destroy you," Boom-Boom threatened.

"Don't you mean 'or I'll destroy you?'" the Infamous One wheezed.

"No, I was right. Tell me where the rest of your god dammed Alliance is so's I can blow the three of you up together."

Reo could feel himself losing consciousness fast. Everything was growing hazy and dark. 

"You want us?" Angel mused, standing on the edge of the smokestack high overhead. 

"Come and get us," Kaiser finished, twirling a gun trigger around one gloved finger. 

Boom-Boom smirked, readying his arsenal of weaponry. "Bring it on."

~*~

Marky yawned to himself, checking his watch as he downed another glass of water.

"What's taking them?" he wondered, he looked around suspiciously for a moment. 

"Say… there's a possibility that they could be…" he blinked for a moment and chuckled to himself. 

__

No way, he thought. _They're too good-looking to be the Alliance!_ He giggled as he sipped from a glass of wine. 

"Will that be all for this evening?" the young waiter asked as he came up with the check. Marky sighed.

"I guess so," he said reluctantly, and looked at the check set in front of him. Looking over it as the waiter left, he grumbled to himself. 

"Chingg had BETTER come up with my payment for this…" he muttered, and pulled out his wallet to set down a few dollar bills on the table. Sighing again, he looked towards the exit where Matt had escaped earlier. Frustrated, young Marky slammed his hand against the table. 

"Dammit!" he cursed. "Everything was going so well!" 

It was then, at this moment that Matt came crashing down through the sunroof of the café. He and Boom-Boom both locked in combat as both had their arms around each other's necks. People were sent into a screaming panic as patrons of the dining room ran for their lives. 

"What the?!" Marky looked over from his table, ducking just as two throwing daggers zoomed over his head and exploded upon connecting with the dining room wall.

The little brown-haired boy watched the fray unfold before his young eyes. His training as a hit man told him to pull the Colt from under his shirt and fire a bullet between the Kaiser's eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to. 

"Kaiser!" 

Marky cringed as Angel swept down through the broken skylight, concern and blood marring her face. She didn't have a clear enough shot at Boom-Boom as the Professional and the Alliance boy grappled on glass-littered ground. 

"Who sent you here?" Kaiser snapped, trying to tighten his hold on his adversary's throat. 

"Like I'd tell you, little son-of-a-b****. You Alliance snots are going to be blown to bits 'n pieces when the Boss is done with you and we'll all have a good laugh cuz that little 'un will be the one ta do yous in!"

"Wallace would never…" Angel hissed, a crackle of energy passing from fingertip to fingertip. 

"When them Professionals are done with him, he'll do anything we tells him to."

Kaiser growled, slamming a fist into Boom-Boom's nose with a sick crunch. The explosive-laced ninja howled in pain, tossing the young vigilante with enough force to send him slamming into a wall. 

DarkScythe, meanwhile, was working on fighting off the burly foe that still had him in a chokehold. He rammed the end of his scythe into his captor's gut, knocking the wind out of him. With a sweeping downward motion of the blade, the well-toned random ninja was slit from temple to toes. Coughing, the Infamous One trudged over to the broken skylight to watch from the sidelines until he could breathe properly again. 

"That's the last time I leave home without my anti-depressants," he muttered, peering down into the mayhem. The sudden impact of a boot meeting his forehead sent the scythe-welding hero reeling backwards, a trail of blood spurting from the fresh opening above his eyes. With a thud, he felt himself landing on his back, vision blurry and head ringing endlessly. 

"Reo, I imagine?" a familiar voice asked. Reo groaned to himself as he lifted his head up, meeting the barrel of a gun pointed at his face. Holding the revolver, Marky gave him a sharp stare before his finger began to squeeze on the trigger and Reo could see the bullet chamber turning. 

"Oh s***," he muttered 

To Be Continued…


	4. Battle Royal

The Alliance

Episode Four

*checks* Yup, definitely still better.

By Kawaii Li'l Lia, Yamato Ishida (Muse) and the Infamous Boss Reo

Reo closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, bracing for the impact of the bullet through his skull. His short life was flashing before his eyes, and he regretted never living long enough to find his peace…and Wallace, for that matter. 

He would've liked to at least make it to Gospel City, settle in the city, make sure 'the Alliance' was a household name, and die heroically. Instead, he was going to die after three full episodes, on a cruise ship in the middle of nowhere, not even making an attempt to fight back since he was quite sure all of his ribs had shattered in the fall. He heard the sound of the gunshot, and of Lia shrieking. There was no pain. 

"Wait a minute…" he muttered, "Shouldn't I be dead? _Am _I dead?"

He opened one eye cautiously, only to find the bullet dangling an inch above his eyebrows, in midair. Everything around him was motionless, frozen in place as the bullet hung in the air. 

"Now what the f*** is going on?" he shouted, making an attempt to poke the bullet. 

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you. Only I can," came a voice not too far away. 

"Matt?! Boy, what've you been smoking?"

The blonde hero casually walked over to his partner's side and plucked the projectile out of the air. 

"I apparently have a talent for such things. You know, like the _Matrix? _It would've been nice if Lia had told me this earlier, but hey…" 

Reo sat up, wincing at the pain in his chest. 

"So what'd you do?"

Matt smirked, tossing the bullet up into the air and catching it in his palm. "Stopped time."

"Wha? You can do that? You actually _stopped time _so this bullet wouldn't hit me? But if you stopped time, then why are we…"

The youth known as the Kaiser shrugged, his violet-tinted glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. 

"I don't have all the answers. Coming up with answers is Lia's department; my purpose in all of this is yet to be defined. Wait…I have a definition. If I weren't here it wouldn't exactly qualify as 'Digimon' fiction anymore…even though we haven't had an actual digimon in here since episode one…but that's beside the point. I can stop time because, um, I have nothing better to do than shoot things and that's kind of a lame power. And because it's a handy plot device."

The Infamous One nodded weakly. "So, can we fix it?"

"Fix it?" Matt repeated. 

"Yeah, like, defrost everyone so we can get this goddamn fight over with?"

"Um…I…don't know. It kind of happened all of a sudden. I don't even know what I did to begin with."

Reo glared at him. "Great! Just great! You save my life, only to go messing with time and now we're stuck in a moment that we can't get out of!" 

You've gotta love U2…just because of Bono. 

"I'm sure there's a way to 'defrost' things…I hope."

"Well you better come up with it soon, Ishida!" he snapped. 

Matt groaned, shaking his head in disgust. 

"Why do I always get stuck with the trauma? Can't somebody else be wrought with misfortune?"

It was at that moment when Reo bounced a football off the side of Matt's head.

"I really, really hate you, Yamato." The Infamous One muttered. Just as soon as he moved did they both realize that time was going smoothly once more. 

"Guess it's only a temporary thing then." Matt shrugged and the two of them both then looked toward young Marky, gawking at where Reo once was in confusion.

~*~

Wallace opened his eyes drowsily. There was a dim light at the far end of his prison, but it didn't seem so imposing. His vision cleared as he gazed at the small light that was inserted into a lone plug outlet on the wall.

"I thought it would help you sleep better." A voice said gently. The young blonde gasped as he felt the warmth of a hand softly grasp his wrist. Yanking his arm away from his unknown roommate, he quickly crawled to the end of the bed, looking back to see who his guest was.

"Don't be afraid…" the child said. Wallace felt a rushing sensation of fear as the dark-haired boy looked at him, then casually taking off his wire-framed glasses and rubbing them clean.

"Wh…who…" Wallace began to ask.

"Vase." The boy replied, "Please forgive me, but I cant really tolerate long questions anymore…" he gently rubbed the side of his head, "They tend to give me headaches from time to time." He extended his hand out, giving Wallace a warm smile.

"Please…" he said softly. "There's no need to be scared."

~*~

Marky stared wide-eyed at the spot where the scythe-toting hero once lay. 

"How…how did you…why aren't you dead?" he stammered. 

Matt grinned, pulling one of several loaded weapons from its holster. 

"We have a way of cheating death."

"Watch your back!" Lia cried as Boom-Boom staggered towards the young blonde hero. Matt fired a round, the Professional dodging one bullet after another. 

"This is getting old," Reo sighed, clutching his scythe for support. "We end this now!" 

Boom-Boom chuckled.

"Indeed we do. It's you an' me, kid. One-on-one. Can you handle that?"

"I've managed to keep liking you this far, haven't I?" DarkScythe retorted with a smirk. 

~*~

Chah Chingg slammed his fist down on his desk, scattering papers to the floor. The wood beneath his hand cracked slightly as he uttered a bestial howl. 

"What is going on over there?! Dammit, why does nobody have the answer?"

Bling entered the office with a bottle of wine and a glass, quaking slightly. 

"Sir…"

Chingg knocked the tray out of the girl's hands, the bottle tumbling to the floor and breaking open, wine sloshing onto the floor. 

"Bling, you will get me word of what is happening on that blasted ship or I swear to God I'll…"

"Right away, Sir! I'm all over it!" she said quickly, fleeing from the room. 

~*~

Syaoran Li and the bishonen back in Tokyo sat around the television, watching the local news reports as a storm raged outside. Phantomon glided in, sitting with the group as they gaped at the report. 

"A cruise ship bound for the United States is under siege. We do not know of all the details as of yet but…wait; we have an eyewitness on the phone now as we speak! Please, ma'am, tell us what is happening out there!" the news anchor said. 

"Well, we were in the middle of dinner when all of a sudden the skylight broke and these costumed freaks fell into the dining hall! They started going at it like it was some kind of Battle Royal!" the woman cried hysterically. 

"Can you describe these 'costumed freaks' as you call them?"

"Well, there was a girl with dark gray wings, and a boy with purple sunglasses, and something like a ninja, and another person with a large scythe! Just terrible, I tell you! Like something out of a comic book or a bad Sci-Fi channel movie!"

Eriol gripped Li's hand. "Did you hear that? That's Reo and the others!" 

"They need help!" Duo added, getting up. 

"Hold it!" Phantomon glared at the rest of them, "Master Reo ordered us to stay here, and that's what we must do. The Alliance can handle things themselves. Everything will be all right."

Li glanced at the window as lightning flashed outside, "I hope so. For all our sakes."

~*~

"BOOM! BOOM!!!! BOOM!!!!!!" the aptly-named Boom-Boom shouted hysterically, throwing exploding daggers left and right, as well as small grenades as he leapt from one wall of the massive inner complex of the luxury liner. Reo jumped from the top of the elevator he was standing on and darted towards Boom-Boom's location. The maniacal ninja laughed insanely, holding another set of throwing daggers between his fingers.

"Feel that, boy?" he asked, hiding a grim smile behind the scarf he wore over his mouth, "This is what it's really like to be on Chingg's bad side! You didn't know the half of it when you left!"

"I'm surprised he hasn't found a way to shut you up yet." Reo quipped, grabbing hold of Boom's scarf. Hanging onto him, he raised his right arm back, bringing it at full speed towards Boom-Boom's face. 

Marky screamed as he squeezed the triggers of the twin colts he was holding, an onslaught of bullets rushing towards Matt as he scrambled to get out of the way of them. 

"JUST DIE ALREADY!!!" the now-enraged youth yelled as he ran towards his target. Matt did a few back somersaults and leapt right down the opened skylight leading to the main area of the ship's interior. Just as he began his free-fall of twenty stories, he twirled around in midair, facing upwards at the skylight's opening.

Taking the few spare seconds, Marky quickly unclipped the two colts' ammo pouches and quickly thrust them against his waist, instantly inserting two more clips into them. 

"I'm going to make sure you eat lead, Kaizer!" he growled, rushing to the edge of the opened skylight and looking down.

Matt's eyes narrowed, and as he aimed both guns he was holding upwards, time once again seemed to slow down around him. He felt himself almost levitating in midair, slowly moving downwards as he kept normal speed, but everything else seemed almost to stop just for him. Aiming upward at his would-be killer, he suddenly noticed both Reo and Boom-Boom next to him. The pair also seemed to be in a free-fall, though Boom-Boom seemed to have the daggers in his fist just inches from the skin of Reo's neck.

Glancing back up at Marky as he peered down, he pointed his other hand toward Boom-Boom's wrist. Closing his eyes, he squeezed both triggers, letting out two shots from each gun.

Boom-Boom grabbed his wrist, howling in pain. The bullet hadn't torn through any crucial veins, but it had shattered the bones and ripped right through the muscle. Blood splattered down onto the floor, blackish-red and thick. Matt's other bullet grazed the side of Marky's face, leaving a shallow cut to bleed down his cheek. The blonde young man sank to his knees on the ground after setting his own guns back into their holsters, feeling lightheaded from the outpouring of new power as it flowed in his veins. Reo and Boom-Boom crashed onto another table, although Reo's fall was broken by Boom-Boom hitting the table first. 

"Kaiser-sama, you doing alright?" Lia asked, looking rather bored as she stood back from the fray, her dark wings folded around her shoulders. 

"Other than the fact that I'm so dizzy I can't see straight, I'm just ducky," he reciprocated bitterly. 

"Then I'll take care of Marky. You take a breather," she replied, cracking her knuckles, "It's about time I do something around here."

~*~

Wallace awoke that morning trying to discern whether or not the boy who had visited him that evening had been real or not. He glanced towards the back of the cell, noting that the little night-light was still there. But Vase himself had vanished. 

"Did I make him up? Or was he really there?" the blue-eyed boy murmured, hugging his knees to his chest. He wished Terriermon and Lopmon were with him, to comfort him and promise that everything would be okay. 

__

But it won't, he thought ruefully, _not as long as I'm still a prisoner here. _

He knew from the way the day went Bling would be along with his breakfast shortly, and the nightmare would continue from there, the Professionals working for Chah Chingg doing their little experiments on young Wallace, trying to make him submit. 

"Please come soon, Reo. I need you."

~*~

Shadder and Ground Zero were just coming around the corner, making their way to the conference room with the latest news from the cruise ship when they paused outside of Wallace's cell door. Vase was leaning against the metal door, his glasses far down the bridge of his nose, fast asleep. 

"Think he's been there all night?" Ground Zero asked softly. 

Shadder said nothing, only moving to pick him up, not even hesitating when he recalled what had happened the last time he touched the possessed boy. 

"Nobody woke him." Was all the larger man said, cradling the sleeping boy in his arms; Zero shrugged.

"Let him sleep." He said, "Mr. Chingg doesn't really care." And he continued down the hall, leaving Shadder as he set Vase down and took one last fleeting glance at the dark-haired boy huddled against the door, tossing his coat over the boy's shoulders and walking off. 

~*~

"How long has it been?" was all Chingg asked, leaning back in his chair and holding a smoking cigar. His figure was shadowed by the lack of sunlight that shone through his closed blinders. 

"The last transmission was made last night." Buzzkill answered, "Boom-Boom would have already contacted us by now if he was done with the job." He folded his legs in his chair, feeling his employer's piercing gaze.

"Not too sure about that runt you hired though."

"Marky is an efficient tool." Chingg said, "He's yet to foul up an assignment." He leaned forward on his desk slightly, sending a chill down Buzzkill's spine as he could see the angered look in his eyes.

"Though I've yet to say the same thing about Boom-Boom's work skills."

"Perhaps we need to send in a backup?" the lackey villain suggested. 

"Perhaps." Chingg said, rising from his chair and turning around to face his window, "But they're not our main focus."

"Afraid of wasting money on someone?" Buzzkill smirked; Chingg just glanced back at him.

"I never waste money, Haggard." He said, turning back around and opening a crack in his blinders, peering out.

"It's such a lovely vision, isn't it?" he asked, Buzzkill just shrugged.

"You made this city possible."

"I gave them faith." Chingg said, "I could take it all away on a whim." He tapped the end of his cigar, spilling the ashes in a metal tray that stood next to him, "What about the boy?"

"Slowly." Was Buzzkill's answer, "The next phase should start soon though."

"Good." Buzzkill rose from his chair.

"I'll have a report by tonight." He said, and he walked towards the large office's door.

"Haggard." He stopped just at the doorknob, hearing his name spoken.

"If this fails, I WILL hold you responsible."

Buzzkill felt a lump form deep within his throat.

"Right." 

~*~

Matt coughed, holding his head in his hands. His head spun violently, and his already weak stomach could hardly take more abuse this evening. Through vertigo-hazed eyes he watched Lia, fighting like a demon with Marky. The little brunette boy had opted for hand-to-hand combat with the girl, and it amused Matt to think that such a sensitive young woman could so easily rend that child limb from limb without much thought. 

"What's wrong, Angel-Whore? Can't fire a gun like a man?" the little assassin mocked, foolishly taunting her. 

"That's right, you need your big, strong hero to protect you."

"Speak to me like that again and I'll pull your tongue right from your mouth and feed it to the seagulls!" she snapped, blocking his fist. 

Marky ducked as she returned one of his punches, scooping a discarded gun from the floor and popping a cartridge in with one fluid motion. The young Kaiser quickly glanced at Reo, who was still combating with Boom-Boom and far too preoccupied with his own matters to look after the youngest member of the team. 

"I hope you know it takes more than a few bullets to kill an angel, even a fallen one," she smirked, tossing negative energy in one hand and catching it as though she grasped a tennis ball. 

"I know what I'm up against, stupid cow. You think the Professionals would hire somebody who couldn't handle the job?" 

Matt's hand went to his holsters, cocking a gun. But he couldn't shoot what he couldn't see, and at the moment everything was just a colorful blur. 

"Oh, and you know what else, Miss Angel?" Marky said, licking his lips as he held the gun upwards. "As soon as your blood's clotted cold in your veins, I'll take your lovely little Kaiser and you know what I'll do?" 

Lia's eyes widened as he mouthed something to her. "You bastard. I'll f***ing kill you if you touch him."

"I'd like to see you try."

~*~

T.K. stirred at his oatmeal halfheartedly, feeling sick at the sight of it. His cheerful disposition had vanished, and storm clouds loomed over the Takaishi household. Nancy worried about her younger son, trying to keep him occupied, but she knew his thoughts were on his elder brother and whether he was all right, or even alive.

Very few people knew the truth about where the three teenagers had vanished to, and those that did said nothing. Lia's younger sister, who happens to be T.K.'s age, confronted him in the hall not long ago; the same smoldering look Lia would occasionally get clear in the younger face. 

"It's your goddamn brother's fault my sister's gone!"

"No! Matt wouldn't…he just…not him. Not my brother."

She looked as if she was about to slap him. "Why else would Lia go?" 

"I don't know! For all I know it was she who made my brother leave!"

"Lia loves our family too much to just leave, and now I have her f***ing digimon following me everywhere! I hope your family goes to hell!"

He stared idly at the guitar in the corner. It had taken much whining to get his father to part with Matt's bass, to let T.K. hold onto it. Malcolm Ishida had told him that Matt left so quickly he didn't even realize he wasn't carrying his most prized possession, the guitar he loved so much. 

"I miss you, Onii-chan. Come home soon," he murmured. 

"T.K., crying into your oatmeal isn't going to make it taste good you know!" Patamon chirped. 

"Whatever."

~*~

Reo and Boom-Boom bounded off the walls of the main hall in the ship. The hyperactive ninja quickly throwing knives and grenades over and over again, while Reo was doing all he could to bounce them away as he swung his scythe.

Quickly approaching the ground, he slammed his foot onto the ground as he landed, just in time to see his adversary screaming as he dove at him. He barely had time to react as a swarm of grenades flew toward him, exploding all around him. 

"DAMMIT!" the ground beneath him suddenly disappeared, and the last thing Reo saw before falling through was Boom-Boom's psychotic eyes, gleaming as he dove at him. With a mid-air tackle, the Professional's strong arms wrapped tightly around Darkscythe's waist. Shrapnel and metal just missed grazing Reo's face as they fell, and he quickly reached his hand out, hoping to grab hold of anything to stop his descent. 

With a sudden jerk, he found himself hanging from a busted pipe. Breathing heavily, he looked beneath him to see Boom-Boom still clutching to his foot.

"You crazy or something?!" he spat, "If you blow up this whole place, we're BOTH gonna go down with this damn ship!"

Boom-Boom's eyes just gleamed wickedly, "You don't see me trembling, do you?" he asked, "I been in more scraps than you'd ever believe, little boy."

"I happen to be 17 years old, Dumbass!" Reo yelled back down at him, "Why not get that through yer f***in' head first before addressing me as 'Little Boy' ?!"

"Don't think it's gonna matter in a few seconds…" the Professional grinned, and two knives appeared clutched in his hand. Panicking, Reo looked all around in hopes of finding his weapon.

"Whatsa matter?" he could hear Boom-Boom saying, "Afraid of death?" Reo groaned as he began to climb up his leg, seemingly pulling his leg from out of its socket. 

"It ain't all that bad, kiddo." He smiled, wrapping his legs around Reo's waist, cutting off his air, "From what I seen, you don't last too long."

The Professional's hand suddenly wrapped around his neck, his hand moving back and drawing both knives ready. Reo suddenly spotted something out of the corner of his eyes: his beloved Lemon Scythe, lying among some of the wreckage from the explosion. 

Water began rushing onto his head from the damaged pipes and plumbing of the ship, getting into his eyes and blurring his vision.

"I'll be sure t' let yer little Wallace know you weren't nothin', boy." He hissed, "Of course, this'll be while I'm killin' im' slowly'." He chuckled evilly, sparking Reo's anger. Suddenly, the Infamous jerked his head back. Boom-Boom raised an eyebrow in confusion, only to realize what was about to happen.

Reo's head came forward quickly, smashing against the Professional's face. Over and over again, he continually rammed his head into Boom-Boom's. Finally, it looked like the both of them were about to lose consciousness when Boom-Boom suddenly slipped off of him, free-falling through the massive hole to the next two floors of the ship.

"I really hate him…" Reo sighed, still hanging from the broken pipe. 

~*~

Marky reeled back as the palm of Lia's gloved hand connected with his nose, which broke almost instantly. He cursed loudly, wiping the blood from his face and continuing to pepper the winged girl with bullets, which she nimbly dodged with little effort. This was another ironic twist in Lia's character that Matt found amusing. In everyday life his girlfriend was a klutz, simple and true. But when her wings spread wide from her shoulders did she move with fluid poise, even if it was before punching someone's nose in. Speaking of Matt, our young Kaiser had finally recovered from his episode of double vision, though he continued to play spectator to the sparring match before him. 

Her step faltered for a moment, giving Marky ample time to wrench one beautifully long charcoal pinion from her body, pulling it until it ripped out with a disgusting tearing sound. Lia shrieked in pain, Matt's finger immediately easing back the trigger of his gun. Her eyes widened as a flash of something crossed her mind for a split second, fragments of past, present, and of things yet to come. 

"_NO!" _The Fallen Angel screamed, hurling a thunderous bolt of energy. It struck Marky in the chest, sending him careening into the back wall, where he crumpled. 

"Tie him up and throw him in the cargo bay. That should keep him out of our hair for now," she ordered to a thunderstruck Kaiser. He nodded dumbly, executing the former of the command. 

"Let's go find Reo, I've got my own bad feeling," he murmured, taking her arm. 

~*~

"So what made you snap like that back there? All of a sudden you just…" Matt's voice trailed off as he tossed a ninja overboard. 

"I'm not quite sure, actually," Lia replied, crushing another lackey's spinal cord as he hit the railing, "Part of it was what Marky said about you, which cannot be repeated without making this an NC-17 story."

"I kind of got that impression…do you mind? We're trying to have a conversation!" Another ninja went flying.

"And part of it was a vision I had right before I zapped that kid. Really disturbing."

Matt's eyes narrowed behind his violet glasses. 

"Like how? Death, destruction, something of the lemon variety?"

Lia shook her head, "No. I saw…I saw Gedriel."

~*~

Wallace screamed in agony, foaming at the mouth as the surgeons' scalpels tore into his vulnerable body again. He should have been used to such torment by now, but every time the pain grew more and more excruciating. The bright lights and the sterile whiteness burned his eyes as he lay helpless, strapped to the operating table. 

"Nurse, why wasn't this boy sedated more? He's still conscious."

"I'm sorry, Doctor, any more would have certainly killed him."

"Oh well. It saves on the medical fund." The surgeon shrugged, and resumed his work on the poor boy. Hours crept by at an infinitesimal pace as the surgeons of the Professionals' Biotech unit added 'enhancements' to the child, their purpose to make the sweet young American into a cold-blooded killing machine.

Tears flowed down Wallace's cheeks as the torment continued, wordless screams tearing from his throat. As the lights faded into hazy darkness, he uttered the name of his love, praying some divine power to make him manifest and save him. 

Nobody knew he had been kidnapped, no one but those linked with the Alliance. And it was those three teenage vigilantes that all his faith was placed on, and the hope that goodness would still persevere.

~*~

It was dark. 

Not that it bothered him; he was used to it. In fact, you could say he welcomed it, why else would he be the way he is? The atmosphere surrounding Reo as he stepped carefully through the garage near the bottom of the ship was nothing but dead air. Usually, were he in the company of others, his mouth would be spewing obscenities, sexual innuendo, and possibly every other piece of offensive material there is to think of. 

This was different. 

He said nothing, only calmly stepping through the dimly lit garage of cars. Approaching his own SUV, he looked around cautiously for a moment. Sensing nobody's presence, he opened the door of the vehicle. 

"Almost forgot this…" he said to himself, reaching into the glove compartment and pulling out a small picture. Quickly placing it in his coat, he next grabbed a carton of cigarettes that lay on his seat. His eyes slowly scanned across the garage as he brought a match to one of the cigarette in his mouth. 

Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he reached behind him and grabbed one last object; a small canister that was filled with a clear liquid. 

As he shut the door to the SUV, a quick chill ran over the back of his neck. His head quickly perked up, smoke escaping through his nostrils.

"Shoulda ran off, kiddo…" a familiar voice said grimly, "Now ya's gotta die bad." 

Reo said nothing though, still enjoying the pleasure of his cigarette. Calmly, he cocked his neck to the right, letting it pop, then slowly moved his neck into the other direction, popping it in that place as well.

"I'm game, boowie." He finally said, exhaling one last time. His hand raised, suddenly flicking his cigarette upward.

In a flash, Boom-Boom rushed out of a shadowed corner of the garage in a mad dive toward him. This was all Reo needed as he suddenly held out his right hand, his trusty Lemon Scythe extending outward.

"Smile for me." 

The edge of Reo's scythe gave a clean, swift swipe right through his neck.

The Infamous One twirled his scythe around before positioning it over his shoulder. Boom-Boom's body smacked against the side of the SUV door, his head landing at the base of his feet. 

Shadows formed around his feet as he sank into the darkness, just as the cigarette he had tossed moments prior landed on Boom-Boom's body.

"Nice try…"

~*~

"Ugh," Matt groaned, sliding his glasses from the bridge of his nose and wiping his tearing eyes, "Disgusting."

"Hmm?" Lia asked, playing with a lock of hair. 

"Can't you smell that?" 

She shook her head, "No. What is…oh, yeah, now I do. Smells like burning flesh."

They coughed, the smoke searing at their eyes and noses. Matt's gloved hand tentatively sought hers, and together they trudged blindly through the haze. It hadn't taken them long to find the gaping hole in the ship's deck, and even less time to find traces of the fight strewn about the rubble. 

Something jumped out of the shadows, a black figure, most likely armed. The Kaiser drew his gun, cocking it with assurance and standing to protect the woman clinging to his arm. 

"Put that down, kid. You're liable to shoot someone, namely me!" 

Matt breathed a sigh of relief, sliding his weapon back into its holster. Lia's grip on his arm loosened. 

"I'm no kid, Reo, I'm just as old as you," he replied, wiping at his eyes again. 

"What's that smell? Oh, it smells like somebody _died," _Lia gagged, hand clasped over her nose and mouth. 

"Yes, that would be the case, now wouldn't it? Too bad for him, looks like he wore too many explosives." He said, indicating the large hole in the ship's deck.

"Whoa, wait a minute. You mean to tell us you just killed off one of the Professionals? That's dead Professional that's burning?" Matt interrogated.

"So? As long as they've been taken care of, I'm peachy. Did you or did you not kill the little pimple?" 

Lia nodded, examining her wings where the little brown-haired rifleman tore out a large chunk of feathers.

"Nailed Marky myself. Not dead, but stunned enough to leave us be for now. But as for being done for the night, I doubt that. I have a suspicion that we won't be sleeping well tonight."

"With you and him making so much noise I didn't think I would anyway," Reo muttered under his breath. 

"Let's go, Alliance. I've had enough excitement to last me for a while," Matt sighed, pocketing his glasses. 

"I think this is only the beginning of it," Lia murmured, taking one more glance down the hall, where Boom-Boom's now incinerated remains lay smoldering.

She glanced at Reo's back, feeling a shudder as she brought her arms around her and folded her wings close to her. She had never seen him this cold; perhaps losing Wallace really was something he couldn't handle… 

~*~

An ocean away, the Digidestined were gathering for their weekly meeting in the park. Morality was at an all-time low, and Odaiba's crime rate had soared. 

"Well gang, it's another Tuesday," Tai stated dejectedly. 

"Tai, enough beating around the bush! You and everybody else here miss Matt, Lia and Wallace, just say it! They've barely been gone any time and we're all falling apart because of it!" Joe shouted, slamming his fist down on a picnic table. 

Sora started crying softly. "What if they never come back?"

"They have to! They're our friends!" Davis said stubbornly, tensely gripping Ken's arm. 

"We don't even know why they left. Why hope for the best when we already know the worst?" Yolei muttered. 

"Enough!" Kari screamed. "Everybody just _stop! _So we're down three teammates, so what? We've had far greater divisions when there were just eight of us, or even before I was a Digidestined and it was just seven! 

"The point is, we've got to stop sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves because that makes us vulnerable to the darkness! They're fine, we're fine, everything will be all right in the end."

"Kari's right," Cody added. "We're still a team, no matter how great a distance."

"We are never broken," Ken said to himself, folding his arms.

To Be Continued…


End file.
